Chapter 169: The Might of Mulan

Mulan Qingqing fell silent, realizing she had overthought things. Many matters couldn't be resolved or replaced by her fiancé's reputation.

Tang Zhen, on the other hand, asked, "I heard you've already collected over sixty thousand Insect Crystals on your side. Is that true?"

Regarding this question, Mai Zhanchang mumbled inwardly, but politely nodded on the surface and said, "That is definitely true. It was acquired through real battles and plunder, costing us nearly a thousand lives. The gains from each battle were personally witnessed and counted by everyone. This cannot be faked. Surely, all the opponents we fought and annihilated didn't conspire to fake it for us, did they?"

Wan Daoxuan, who sent the undercover agent, also nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, there's no need to doubt the authenticity of the Insect Crystals."

Tang Zhen stroked his chin in annoyance, saying, "I know it's hard to fake. I was just wondering, last time we boasted about getting over sixty thousand Insect Crystals, and they actually got them too. It felt a bit coincidental. I remember when we started, with so many people, it took us so much effort to get just a few dozen. They, on the other hand, got over sixty thousand in about ten days."

Li Shanshan sighed, "That's not hard to understand. There are many Insect Crystals in the Moon Sea. Many people risked their lives to retrieve them from there. The current scale of quantities is definitely not on the same level as before. Some sects still operating around the Moon Sea have accumulated quite a lot; they've all gotten rich."

That made sense, and the others nodded slightly. Mai Zhanchang also said, "Exactly, I think that's the reason too."

Mulan Qingqing, however, was concerned about something else and asked, "He's been under Luo Zheng for so long; what does he think of him?" Her inquiry, it seemed, pertained to his character in a more personal light.

Wan Daoxuan pondered for a moment and said, "To be honest, his character is hard to judge. But in terms of ability, I feel he surpasses the vast majority of people."

"Miss Yin Hui," he continued, "how should I put this? I wouldn't presume to judge his character, but in terms of his abilities, I believe your fiancé does not disgrace you at all. He is truly exceptional and worthy of you."

Upon hearing this, Su Yuanzong almost instinctively looked at Guan Yingjie's reaction, breaking into a cold sweat on the spot. "Brother Mai, oh Brother Mai," he thought, "Why say such things? Why meddle in their personal affairs? You're just asking for trouble."

Wan Daoxuan, unaware of any issue, cupped his hands to everyone, bid farewell, and turned to follow Su Yuanzong.

However, upon hearing this, the women present exchanged strange glances. Her concern for her fiancé was indeed unusual; it was genuine care.

A few people listened intently.

Yin Hui Qingqing fell into a pensive mood, recalling Luo Zheng's earlier words: his bold claim that even a motley crew would become a formidable army in his hands. Now, it certainly seemed to be true. There were some things she had originally wanted to deny, but now her inner resolve was subtly wavering. In terms of her own abilities, she might indeed not be as good as him.

"Some of the things he did seemed simple, but not everyone could achieve them. For instance, the high-rhythm, precise attacks with dozens of troops—that was no child's play. If you gave me a team of scouts and told me to manage it, I honestly wouldn't be able to, and certainly not as well as he did."

"You can imagine, without actual combat experience, even if I explained its function to you, you probably wouldn't have understood. To be frank, you might even have thought, 'What could a freeloader possibly know?' Now, everyone is truly convinced. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to suppress the previous military dissent with just a few words."

"Also, the initial pre-battle training, seemingly simple, now appears, in retrospect, to be a stroke of genius. Without that resolutely implemented preparatory training, there would have been no subsequent smooth and victorious battles."

The others listened and nodded slightly. They had discussed this aspect before and were amazed by Mulan's highly precise strategic planning. Conducting several raids a day, for over ten days without error, was nothing short of astonishing.

As these concluding remarks were made, Yin Hui Qingqing was stunned, while Guan Yingjie, standing nearby, suddenly cast a cold, dagger-like gaze at him.

Yin Hui Qingqing, roused to ambition, nodded and simply said, "Good!"

Li Shanshan broke the silence, saying, "Yin Hui, there are only a few days left until the grand assembly. It's time for us to make our move."

This was also Yin Hui Qingqing's request. She said that the besieging forces were too few, so they needed to shatter the opponent's morale with their first move.

The next day, according to information from scouts, Yin Hui Qingqing gave a command, and several groups of forces stationed around the Moon Sea moved in succession towards a single location.

At the royal capital's mirror, all eyes were on it; everyone was watching with intense interest.

From the moment Luo Zheng's elite forces began to mobilize, all parties realized that a full-scale operation was about to begin. Consequently, Wang Sheng's domain lord, Chi Rang, would periodically check on the situation. Indeed, it had begun!

Their target was the Jizhou forces, whose numbers were second only to Wang Sheng's. The opposing side had gathered nearly two thousand people. Although it was a force cobbled together from various Jizhou factions, it was not to be underestimated.

As Wang Sheng's forces deliberately spread threatening rumors, the Jizhou forces immediately became nervous. Their separated units quickly gathered and huddled together, which played right into Wang Sheng's hands, giving them the opportunity to complete an encirclement in one swift move.

That night, thousands of troops on this side entered a state of readiness.

Once the encirclement was complete, Yin Hui Qingqing gave the command, and Luo Zheng's strongest elite forces instantly rushed towards a single point simultaneously.

The elite offensive force honed by Wang Sheng was indeed extraordinary. The moment the two sides clashed, it was like one tide overwhelming another, and the situation instantly became one-sided.

The effect was indeed clear. Wang Sheng's formidable reputation, led by Luo Zheng-lin, combined with the crushing momentum they displayed, instantly shattered the morale of the Tongzhou forces.

Consecutive instant teleportation assassinations killed over a hundred people within a dozen breaths, teaching those who disbelieved what terror truly was.

Wang Sheng's forces, led by Luo Zheng-lin, had long targeted that fat sheep, holding a firm gaze and having already made up their minds. Once they acted, their first strike would be against this most lucrative target.

Su Yuanzong and others also led the charge into the battle. Even Guan Yingjie rushed into the formation immediately, specifically targeting masters. This was something entirely absent from earlier tactics; previously, Mai Zhanchang would only have observed from the sidelines.

The other Xuanzhou people vanished abruptly, only to reappear suddenly. Whenever someone attempted to escape by flying into the air, a Xuanzhou assassin would instantly flash beside them, catching them by surprise and assassinating them. The deceased wouldn't even know where their opponent was after death.

Seeing that defeat was irreversible, someone, carrying bulging black pouches, soared into the sky on wind-scales, attempting to flee.

But with a cold, sweeping glance, she released her grip, flicked her finger, and the long sword hummed as it shot out of its scabbard towards the target. Its speed was so great that it instantly transformed into a streaking light. With a single strike, it shattered the wind-scale's rotation in mid-air, and the scales fell neatly.

Yet, the sharp sword light turned and shot back. He twisted in mid-air, narrowly dodging it. The sword paused in the air again, then shot back suddenly.

The sword passed through the person's chest. Several flashing Xuanzhou figures, holding swords, ran him through, suspending his trembling body in the air.

Several figures from Luo Zheng's side drew their swords. Amidst flying blood, their chaotic blades dismembered the person in mid-air. A Xuanzhou individual, holding the bulging black pouches, flew through the air and stood before Yin Hui Qingqing, like a fantasy attendant.

The sword light, rebounding through the air, without deviation, returned with a hum to the scabbard at Yin Hui Qingqing's waist. She remained suspended in the air, not moving an inch.

Though Yin Hui Qingqing remained motionless, suspended and gazing down at the ground, she alone was more formidable than ten armies, striking fear into countless individuals below.

With her individual power, she single-handedly forced everyone on the battlefield to abandon any attempt to escape by flying, leaving them no choice but to face and break through the enemy's charge, which outnumbered them.

Some would shout "surrender or die," but in such a scenario, members of a sect couldn't surrender. Surrendering would bring complete disgrace upon the entire sect, and even if they escaped, death would still be inevitable.

His disciples on either side looked around at the crowd, confident and proud. The prestige they had lost due to Chao Zhilin's death now felt fully restored.

From the best viewing platform, Luo Zheng's domain lord, Chi Rang, stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly, smiling faintly. "No wonder they dared to launch an encirclement with such a small force," he mused. "So, they've cultivated to such a level. What extraordinary talent! Yin Hui has indeed given birth to a fine son today."

He was very satisfied.

Elder Mai Zhanchang, Ji Qing, and Xie Shou looked on with satisfaction.

From the overall battle situation as seen in the mirror, Chi Rang frowned slightly. Three or four thousand people besieging two thousand seemed unwise. Even with several times the enemy's numbers, it could hardly be called a siege because it would be very difficult to complete.

"At the time, for that training, he secretly eliminated over seventy people. We had significant objections then. But now, looking back, no one resents him. Everyone agrees that the training was absolutely necessary and that he was truly far-sighted."

Witnessing the massacre of the Jizhou forces and being powerless to stop it, the Jizhou domain lord's expression was grim.

On the adjacent viewing platform, Young Master Nan's eyes watched the mirror. His fists were clenched tightly, and his face grew even more unsightly, as if he had lost a close relative.

Threatening slogans resounded. Realizing this, she felt a bitter taste in her heart.

Yet, in the sky, a magnificent figure waited, standing suspended with hands behind her back, dressed in white like snow, her sleeves fluttering. It was Yin Hui Qingqing, as cold as ice.

After the two sides separated, she had also experienced the chaotic disputes during large-scale troop movements and raids. Mulan's pre-battle training easily resolved many organizational problems. Whether fighting day or night, the troops could be commanded to advance and retreat orderly using only simple hand gestures and light signals. After witnessing this in the mirror, countless people gasped. To them, the sword light was seen rapidly weaving through the air from different angles, trapping one person and relentlessly attacking, quickly staining the sky with the victim's blood.

Both sides' forces saw each other, and a fierce battle instantly erupted. This was also a lesson learned from Mulan's group: fighting piecemeal was inefficient; it was better to sweep the board in one go. The formidable reputation of Sheng Shenzhou's top sect was fully displayed at this moment. Countless people watching in the mirror were shocked.

He quickly interrupted, saying, "Alright, that's enough for now. Brother Mai, I'll escort you back."